Various types of transit and other passenger vehicles, including various types of passenger buses, incorporate drive systems that are at least partially powered by electric energy. Drive systems in such vehicles, which may be fully electric or hybrid electric-combustion (generally referred to herein as an “electric vehicle”), will typically include one or more traction motors used to propel the vehicle. To provide energy for the vehicle drive system, as well as other on-vehicle electrical loads, such as onboard computers, navigation systems, and so on, such electric vehicles will also typically be equipped with one or more on-board batteries or other storage devices for electric energy. Such batteries or other storage devices are typically rechargeable so that it is not necessary, each time an old battery is depleted through usage, to remove the depleted battery and install a new battery.
In operating such electric vehicles, it can be important to rapidly, safely, and efficiently recharge wholly- or partially-depleted energy storage devices. For example, the range of an electric vehicle can be significantly extended by providing on-route charging stations, so that during passenger pickup/drop-off operations or other stops, such as route timing stops intended to allow a transit vehicle to maintain a proper schedule, the vehicle's charge may be wholly or partially restored. Because it is typically desirable that such vehicles be kept in generally moving operation as constantly as possible while deployed on a route, it can be important, during such stops, that any full or partial recharging be accomplished rapidly; yet any such charging should also be accomplished safely and efficiently.
In other cases, it can also be important during less hurried charging operations, such as those which can take place when a vehicle is not deployed to a route or otherwise is out of service, e.g., is ‘off duty’ for the night, to control charging operations so that batteries and other energy storage devices are safely and efficiently charged.
It can also be important in some situations to manage the manner in which power is drawn from batteries used in such buses, as for example when drawing power from the batteries to drive the traction motors so as to place the vehicle in motion, or to suitably control the motion of the vehicle, or when otherwise adding to or managing existing loads connected across the batteries.
There is room for improvement in, or development of useful alternatives to, any or all of these, and other, aspects of electric vehicle operation.